In some countries, yes. (See, for example, Decision No. 41/2005/QD-BGTVT Of September 16, 2005, Providing For Order And Procedures For Certifying The Submission Of Sea Protests In Vietnam, and Article 104 of the Merchant Shipping Act of Malta. ) It is not a statutory duty in the UK, however. A master should always ask the P&I club correspondent or ship’s agent whether he is under a local legal duty to make a protest.
